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Wheeler County, Oregon
Wheeler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 2000, its population was 1,547. It is named in honor of Henry H. Wheeler, an early settler who owned a farm near Mitchell. The county's seat is Fossil. Wheeler County is known for having a large depository of fossils, the most extensive in the state. History Wheeler County was created on February 17, 1899 from parts of Grant, Gilliam, and Crook Counties. There have been no boundary changes since its creation. Fossil was designated the temporary county seat at the time of the county's creation. In 1900 there was an election to determine the permanent county seat between the three towns of the county, which ended with Fossil winning the election. Economy Principal industries in this county are agriculture, livestock, and lumber. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,443 km² (1,715 sq mi). 4,442 km² (1,715 sq mi) of it is land and 1 km² (1 sq mi) of it (0.03%) is water. Major Highway *U.S. Highway 26 Adjacent Counties *Gilliam County - north *Morrow County - northeast *Grant County - east *Crook County - south *Jefferson County - northwest *Wasco County - northwest Demographics As of the census2 of 2000, there were 1,547 people, 653 households, and 444 families residing in the county. The population density was 0/km² (1/sq mi). There were 842 housing units at an average density of 0/km² (0/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 93.34% White, 0.06% Black or African American, 0.84% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.49% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. 5.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 653 households out of which 21.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 4.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.90% were non-families. 27.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.76. In the county, the population was spread out with 22.70% under the age of 18, 3.40% from 18 to 24, 19.30% from 25 to 44, 31.40% from 45 to 64, and 23.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $34,048. Males had a median income of $29,688 versus $22,361 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,884. About 12.70% of families and 15.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.20% of those under age 18 and 4.20% of those age 65 or over. Communities Incorporated cities *Fossil *Mitchell *Spray Unincorporated communities *Antone *Clarno *Kinzua (a ghost town) *Richmond *Service Creek *Twickenham *Wetmore *Winlock External links *Wheeler County listing in the Oregon Blue Book Category:Counties of Oregon Category:Wheeler County, Oregon